Back for an encore performance! Francesca first performed The Cherry Sisters on this very stage over ten years ago and went on to enjoy runs around the tri-state area. Tonight she’ll be performing excerpts from the play, both funny and poignant, which was written as a tribute to her mother who was a natural raconteur.

The Cherry Sisters is about surviving childhood with a modicum of dignity and how our emotional scars eventually just grow together to form who we are. And how humor and song and telling stories out loud around a kitchen table is sometimes the only real therapy some of us ever get.

"Rizzo plays her mother, Grace, a woman who faces life head-on with wit and bravado ... tackling subjects few would be willing to discuss in public. And she does it with flair and sharp comedic timing."
Steven V. Cronin, The Atlantic City Press

"I loved Francesca Rizzo's "The Cherry Sisters." Rizzo, a fine film actress, is mercurial on stage as well ... it seems as both writer and actor she is in touch with life itself ... better than Spalding Gray, in my book."
Ray Carney, Moviemaker Magazine

Francesca Rizzo is an award-winning writer, actress and filmmaker. Her latest play, (Never Underestimate) Dames Like Her, was also launched here at the Café.
And she can usually be seen here in Tulis McCall’s Monologues & Madness show, every first Monday.

Carnatic Music is the classical music of South India. Grounded in traditional songs of the great Trinity of composers, Carnatic musicians explore their own musical creativity improvising in Ragas and the music's intricate rhythmic cycles (Tala). CARNATIC SUNDAYS, curated by Arun Ramamurthy, is a series which presents traditional South Indian classical music and innovative projects influenced by it. Featured in India's most respected newspaper, The Hindu, this series is reaching newer and more diverse audiences each month.

Ravichandra Kulur is considered one of the most exciting and creative flutists in Carnatic music today. A disciple of his father, Sri K Raghavendra Rao, Ravi has carved a niche for himself in a field governed by great maestros and emerged as one of the most sought after flutists from India. Ravi's versatility as a musician was recognized by none other than Pandit Ravi Shankar, calling him a "fantastic, brilliant and very well known flutist from India" Ravichandra has been part of most of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anoushka's world tours the past few years.

"Kulur played up the contrast with gliding, curling lines teasing against her staccato ones...Set off improvisations and dizzyingly fast unison passages from Ms. Shankar on sitar and Ravichandra Kulur on wooden flute."
New York Times – Aug 31, 2007

Established in 2008, neoLIT ensemble is a New York-based contemporary music group of classically trained musicians who perform and promote modern music and discover masterpieces of the 20th and 21st centuries. neoLIT celebrates the diversity of contemporary music with a vision unrestrained by convention, presents programs representing contemporary compositional styles from around the world, and is especially devoted to presentation of works by women composers. Recent performances include venues such as Le Poisson Rouge, Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, Bryant Park Festival, and the Tank, among others.

Day or night. Rain, heat or snow. The city streets are full of people seeking the path to a better life. Everybody learns the hard way. Some not soon enough. And even dreams must pay their dues. That’s just the nature of The City. That’s New York. Welcome to "Have a NYC" (Three Rooms Press, 2012), the first of a new New York short stories series, edited by Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges.

In honor of "Have A NYC," Three Rooms Press is throwing a launch party featuring 12 readers from the book. All stories are based in New York, and all have a mood and edge that reveals the still writhing underbelly and energy that refuses to bow down even as technology slowly grips the throngs of people walking the streets here.

Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.

8:30PMANDREW RATHBUN QUARTETAndrew Rathbun, saxophones; Phil Markowitz, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Bill Stewart, drums
Join Andrew Rathbun's newest ensemble/project as they perform new music from "Numbers & Letters" which will be recording immediately after this performance. Featuring stellar percussionist Bill Stewart, Phil Markowitz, who is one of the most harmonically inventive piano players on the scene, and Jay Anderson's brilliantly crafted and inventive bass work, this project's focus are compositions that find the journey of childhood as their inspiration.

Human+ or You'll Be Partly Plastic When You Die. Lectures on posthumanism, machine music, transhumanism, and machine love.

Tonight: The Mind Behind the Theremin: An Evening of Live Theremin Music, Bad Judgement, and Genius Gone Haywire

“Genius” is the category we have peopled with exceptional humans – beings of both genders who have revolutionized every area of endeavor throughout the ages. Our collective fascination with genius has spawned studies, books, workshops, exercises, and “how-tos,” all claiming that we each have a genius inside of us. It is time for a musical cautionary tale, a tale of genius at the dawn of the technological revolution.

In 1919, Lev Sergeivitch Termen, known throughout the world as Leon Theremin, invented the first synthesizer. Originally dubbed the Aetherphone, the Theremin remains the only musical instrument played without being touched. His genius did not stop there. A prodigious inventor and visionary, he went on to revolutionize the fields of communications, surveillance, and even Macy’s window displays.
Theremin suffered (and miraculously survived) the pitfalls that brought down many of history’s geniuses, a classic combination of volatile personality traits, poor judgement, and the striking of an almost Faustian bargain with those in a position to help him.

In addition to his own story, we’ll observe how Theremin’s creation has influenced the lives and career trajectories of contemporary electronic music’s geniuses such as synthesizer pioneers Dr. Robert Moog and Don Buchla, theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, and legendary composers, Wendy Carlos and Morton Subotnick.

Kip Rosser is considered one of the most accomplished thereminists playing today, performing his solo concerts and collaborating with musicians around the world. For reviews, photos, music samples, and upcoming performances please visit www.performancekr.com. Rosser's CDs of theremin music --Euphonic Verses and Exploration of the Black Exterior -- will be available for purchase. To hear samples from both discs visit: http://www.performancekr.com/order.html

Observatory is an art and events space in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in February 2009 by a group of seven artists and writers, the space seeks to present programming inspired by the eighteenth-century notion of "rational amusement." Observatory is especially interested in topics residing at the interstices of art and science, history and curiosity, and magic and nature. Part of the Proteus Gowanus arts complex, Observatory hosts frequent screenings, lectures, classes, and exhibitions.

“Nós Novo offers a worldly mix of sea shanties, Celtic reels and airs, Brazilian
soul and jazz spirit, played via a mix of strings and percussion instruments and
the soaring voice... More amazing than the boldness of the
mix is the seamlessness with which it all comes together. --New York Times

The voices soaring over this particular performance will be that of two of the most intriguing and affecting young vocalists in NYC, Becca Stevens and Jean Rohe.

Bolivian opera singer Gian-Carla Tisera and Burmese-American pianist A.J. Khaw share their genre-crossing interpretations. Melodies emerge from every corner of the world -- from folk tunes heard in the poorest slums to the soaring arias of bygone eras. Cucaracha Luminosa is joined at Cornelia Street by guest artists from the Stone Forest Ensemble - Varuni Tiruchelvam on cello and beatboxer extraordinaire Chesney Snow.

As a collective we are trying to grow from what we learned from our
mentors that include Louis Hayes, Elvin Jones, Art Taylor, and Jackie Mclean, to
name a few. We perform mostly original music that is inspired by
straight ahead jazz with the focus of keeping it modern in sound and
concept.

"He plays straight-ahead jazz with the necessary mixture of scorch and
sensitivity to keep it interesting." - The New York Times

"The sound that Eubanks projects is personal, warm, and sonorous." - JazzTimes

"A formidable player and composer, bassist Petros Klampanis, now a member of Greg Osby’s stable at Inner Circle, makes his auspicious Stateside debut with Contextual"-Jazztimes Magazine/Bill Milkowski.

Ari Hoenig (born on November 13, 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is a jazz drummer, composer and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members.

For years I’ve admired the imaginative programming ideas, creative energy
and generous spirit that my Composers Concordance colleagues have
consistently brought to our new music community. For this reason I'm excited
that we finally get to join forces and co-produce an evening of new piano
music. There'll be solos and duos, plus a new piece by Gene Pritsker for one
piano and eight piano players! Now how will we pull that off? Only Gene
knows for sure....

8:30PMJANE IRA BLOOM, ALL BALLADSJane Ira Bloom , soprano saxophone; Dominic Fallacaro, piano; Dean Johnson , bass; Matt Wilson, drums
Less is more when award winning soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom returns to Cornelia St. Café to perform an evening of American songbook and original ballads with longtime collaborators Matt Wilson (drums), Dean Johnson (bass) and pianist Dominic Fallacaro. It’s close-up music in an intimate room with a band that likes to take their time carving the space. Don’t miss this special one time event.

“One of the most individual and compelling voices on the soprano saxophone”--Gary Giddins,Village Voice